Procrastination Nation

Welcome to Procrastination Nation,
Where you don't work when you should
And you often wish that you would
have listened to your friends
when they said:
"DON'T PUT IT OFF UNTIL THE LAST MINUTE!"

But you can't help where you live
Or the curveballs that life gives
to you
on a weekly basis.

So here I am now,
Sitting under the flag of my country
And thinking, "Holy cow!"
10 PM and so much to do!
If my professor only knew
That I didn't mean to wait so long
To type up these last 2 entries that belong
Behind a bullet-proof case for all of the work
I have put into them.

I pledge allegiance to the flag
of the nation that makes me gag.
Here's to you, Procrastination Nation.
You win again.

Did you know...

Reflections from today's writing lesson...

Did you know

that your students

know more than you?

Did you know

that you will never

know everything?

Did you know

that by thinking you're

the smartest person in the room

you are cheating yourself

and them?

Did you know

that you can learn

more in one lesson from them

than in any professional development course?

Did you know?

My Golden Girl

"Thank you for being a friend

Traveled down the road and back again 

Your heart is true your a pal and a confidant."

You scratch and bark

And make me carry you home from the park.

You used to be full of energy (and thin!)

You now eat garbage and my dirty napkin.

You hate when I dress you up,

But you're such a good lil' pup

That when dressed as a hippo for Halloween

You didn't even make a scene.

Your feisty moments make me laugh

Like when you know you're about to get a bath.

And you give me that look like, "Mom, don't you touch me,"

Even though afterwards you know you'll feel as good as can be.

To me, you are more than 'man's best friend'

You are worth more than any amount of money I can spend. 

You're presence is always there to carry me through,

Gracie, I love you. 

Peeping Tom

Through the window: Boo!

"I see you," taunts the peacock.

Can't complain 'bout Tom. 

IFA Villas Bavaro Resort & Spa, Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

Closure With a Capital "C"

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green was recommended by some of my classmates as a "MUST READ." So when it came time to decide which books to bring with me on vacation, it was my first purchase. 

On the connecting flight from Atlanta to Santo Domingo, I turned on my Kindle and began to read. 

After the first page, I looked to Mike and said, "This is a cancer book." 

"Turn it off," he said, without hesitation. 

Now, none of my classmates were aware of the fact that the Big C is a pretty (very) fragile topic in mine and Mike's lives. A brief timeline: September, his mother was diagnosed; October, my cousin lost her battle; November, my grandmother stopped fighting; December, his grandmother was taken unexpectedly. 

Not that we are in avoidance of the topic altogether. Heck, we even watched 50/50, knowing it was a C movie, because we thought Seth Rogan would give us a humorous take on much a traumatizing subject. Well, once we got to the scene where the camera focuses in on a half-empty bag of chemo being pumped into JGL, we turned it off. No laughs. Just horrible memories. "Too soon," we both agreed. 

It was still too soon. I knew that vacation would already bring about a few moments of sadness on Thursday, what would have been my cousin's 35th birthday. But it came so highly recommended that I thought, "Hey, if it gets too rough, I have others to choose from." On I read...

I finished the book the next day. I had to stop, frequently, because Hazel's journey required thought. But I couldn't keep myself from reading. The book, in fact, wasn't "sad." It was undoubtedly depressing, but Hazel never lets you feel sorrowful for her or the other characters. For them, cancer is just something they have, not who they are or who they will become. And that is exactly the way I saw it as it was happening around me. These brave women, like Hazel, lived their lives the way they wanted to. Sure, some days were better than others. But they kept going, if not for themselves, for their families and friends. And when the end would come, though grief-stricken and heart-broken, their wishes for us to be happy and celebrate their lively spirits was a true testament to their strengths and characters. 

Hazel's story helped me more than I ever could have imagined. It sounds silly, that I've had months to recover from such loss and a book, read over 2 days, was what ended up putting everything into perspective. But it did. Hazel's voice, for me, was the voice of the women I lost and the one still fighting (and winning!). I will never know what my angels thought before they left this earth, but I can imagine it was something like what I read. 

It is all still so unbelievable and despairing, yet for the moment I have Closure from Cancer. For the moment, there are no "what-ifs" or "I wonder...". In this moment, I am at peace. 

Rise & Shine

There are two beautiful benefits to leaving for work before dawn and coming home after dusk:

Sunrise

and

sunset.

British author Jo Walton said, "There's a sunrsise and a sunset every single day, and they're absolutely free. Don't miss so many of them." 

Lucky for me, I get paid to experience these priceless moments. 

Salted Stress

Salt and stress.

Stress and salt.

Vacation is in 5 days.
Skip the chips.
Go nuts with the nuts (pistachios, that is).

2 cups later...
Shells.

And still stressed.

Ahh!

FYI: Pistachios are just as unhealthy as chips.
Now they tell me.